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Back in the day, before Kyla was diagnosed as Celiac we used to make ricotta stuffed pasta shells all the time. Back then finding a decent gluten free pasta was a chore let alone pasta shells… and let’s face it, going plant based was just the final nail in the coffin for that recipe. For some reason I was thinking about those yummy shells this week and figured now was the time to hunt down some shells, whip up some vegan ricotta and get this delicious comfort food back on the menu. Also of course the grannies seem like things that they are familiar with and tempeh ain’t that. We’ve done a squash recipe with plant based ricotta before so you can find the recipe for that here. Other than that, this is a super easy meal to make that everyone should like. Our go to tomato sauce recipe is here too. Hmmm seems like a bit of recycling, but why reinvent the wheel?

Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells
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Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

Course: DinnerCuisine: VeganDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

1

hour 
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 21 jumbo pasta shells

  • 2 cups of cashew ricotta

  • 4 cups of marinara sauce (we use this VegHead one)

  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped

  • 5 mushrooms, chopped

  • 150 g of fresh spinach

  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

  • 1 tsp of dried oregano

  • 1/2 tsp of lemon zest

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes (if you’re using bottled marinara)

Directions

  • Prepare the cashew ricotta and marinara sauce. Feel free to use store bought if that works better for you.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta shells as per instructions on the package. When cooked to al dente drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
  • Preheat your oven to 425° F
  • Add the chopped walnuts to a frying pan over medium heat and toast lightly. When they are toasted add them to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • To the frying pan add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms have released their liquid.
  • Add the spinach to the pan a handful at a time until all the spinach has wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
  • When the spinach mixture is cool add it to the mixing bowl with the walnuts. Add in the ricotta and mix well.
  • Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan with 2/3 of the marinara sauce.
  • Fill each shell with a spoonful of the spinach/ricotta mixture and place in the pan. When all 21 shells are filled, spread the remaining marinara sauce over them.
  • Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Notes

  • Serve with your favourite salad and some fresh bread.
  • It’s best to prepare the ricotta ahead of time so that it has time to firm up in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells
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